Saturday, May 31, 2008

Saturday's 8th inning was unreal, especially since it was against a pitcher that always confounds the Mets, Jonathan Broxton.

Mike Pelfrey pitched a fantastic game, but got zero help from the Mets offense who scratched out a mere 3 hits while Pelfrey was in the game. But the key is Pelfrey kept the Mets close only giving up 2 runs in 6 innings striking out 6 while only walking one. The one walk is huge for Pelfrey who has struggled with his control.

Carlos Beltran woke up the Shea crowd with a bomb of a home run in the 8th and Fernando Tatis made Broxton pay for the intentional walk to Schneider before him. Tatis has been struggling to catch up to fastballs in the mid-90's but took Broxton to the opposite field for the game winning RBI.

Santana tomorrow and a 5-2 home stand would be a great way to head to the West Coast. Just no one else get injured. I'm seriously considering a petition to fire the Mets trainers, this is getting ridiculous.

Just when you thought he was starting to show signs of improvement, Heilman crushes your hopes of a win by imploding on the mound.

ABC is bringing back a reality show from 2000 called The Mole where teams compete but someone within their midsts is secretly working against them. Heilman is our Mole, except he's not so secret about his actions.

Is Heilman this year's Guillermo Mota? Think of how many games Willie kept bringing in Mota last year only to have him blow it. Do you also remember how many games back we ended the season? One. That's right all it took was once less time to bring in Mota and our season might have changed. Let's not let that happen again. And let's not be in a position to let that happen again.

Cut Heilman loose or send him to Triple A to regroup. He's imploding before our very eyes.

Friday, May 30, 2008

It appears we have a little win streak on our hands. Man, do the Mets love Brad Penney or what?

But what changed since Monday? Why does this team all of a sudden look way better than last week?

Let's remove the issue of the Willie Randolph meeting with the Wilpons. If that was a motivator, we would have seen some life in this ball club on Monday, but they were completely dead.

Has the pitching been more effective of late? Not really. Our starters are still giving up 3+ runs every night. The bullpen has been more clutch, except for Duaner Sanchez's lone hiccup on Wednesday night.

Has the hitting magically gotten better? Kind of. Reyes is now on a nice streak. Beltran has been hitting the ball hard for over a week now, but just recently is starting to find holes. Wright showed some pop last night. And the super subs are filling in nicely.

Has the defense improved? Not really. Castillo, Delgado & Endy have all flashed the leather this week, but it's not like we're all of a sudden the impenetrable defense that was the 2000 Mets.

So what is the key? Timely hitting. It doesn't matter if you get a ton of hits or home runs, but it's that one hit at the right time that makes all the difference. Lee Mazzili made an excellent comment during the SNY Post Game last night. He said "Sometimes you don't get a 2 out base hit during an entire week. The Mets had 6 two out hits tonight."

Maz is right. That's how we won last night when we scored 4 runs in an inning all with 2 outs. The night before is the same story because we got hits with runners in scoring position. The Mets during this win streak have found a way to get hits with 2 outs or with runners in scoring position.

And that my fellow Mets Lifers makes all the difference. If the team continues to execute like that, we might finally see this team go somewhere.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

We've been asking for a spark all year...Wondering all season who's going to step up and give this team a jolt. Ladies and gentlemen, we've found our guy. Fernando Tatis, welcome to Shea Stadium my friend!

Not only did the Mets need this win, they got it in the absolute best way; coming back two times, once in the 9th on Chavez's homer and then of course, Tatis' game-ending double in the 12th after going down 6-5 in the top of the frame. This was a beautiful baseball game and one that should get this team headed in the right direction.

Incredible but in just two games, you can sense a totally different buzz around this team. Guys on the top step, cheering, pumping fists, encouraging each other. This is the kind of baseball we want to, we expect to see. How nice it sounded to hear all of those Mets Lifers going crazy at the 'ole stadium.

Don't look now, but Jose Reyes is starting to heat up in a big way, smacking another HR and he also had double with a SB. Great catch by Beltran also, running in the right center fireld gap to track down a bullet that would have scored two runs. If you haven't seen the play, you have to check it out. I still can't believe he ran that ball down. Off the bat, it looked for sure like it was headed to the gap.

Have to give Willie some credit for shaking things up. He had to do something and so far, his super subs are paying dividends for him over these last 2 games.

We all talk about how fortunate are we to have Gary Cohen, Darling and Hernandez doing the games every night but I have to acknowledge the great job that Kevin Burkhardt does on SNY night in, night out. He's insightful, honest, articulate, does fantastic in-game reporting, and best of all, the guy asks a lot of tough questions when he's covering this team pre and post game. He asked good questions at Monday's silly press conference and last night was asking Johan Santana point blank questions about Willie, about being the stopper, and whether or not he's actually brought his best game yet to the National League. Also, before the game last night, while a guest on Loud Mouths, Burkhardt spoke candidly about this team not hitting, about how guys need to step up and start performing the way they're supposed to. While not groundbreaking news here, it is certainly refreshing to get this kind of honesty. I'm not sure how all of you feel, but I for one, think he does a great job and I enjoy his commentary on this team.

By the way, Keith Hernandez said he really enjoyed being so close to the field last night, getting a different perspective, while broadcasting from behind home plate. He said he felt like playing again...or maybe...managing? I dunno...but Freddie and Jeff should find out.

I know these things have a tendency to be a little over rated but tonight is the biggest game of the year for the Mets. Having struggled for so long, and endured an avalanche of negativity in recent weeks, a win and series victory against the Marlins could be just what the doctor ordered. Last night, for whatever reason, they looked like they had some life to them. Maybe it was the super subs who injected a jolt of energy, not too mention a few 2 out, run scoring hits (amazing what those kinds of hits can do for a team, eh?), but the team looked crisp. Now, it's critical for them to go out and get this game tonight...Have to win. Take 2 out of 3, and start a nice run here.

Ok, so the Mets won a game last night. Hallelujah. But we all know that this team needs a shake up. I was watching as Tatis & Castro were knocking the cover off the ball and I had some ideas to spice up this Mets lineup. So here we go.

Luis Castillo made a great play in the infield last night, but we all know his knees are ready to fall off. His hitting has declined and even Keith Hernandez couldn't comment on a play by Castillo without saying "he would have had that 5 years ago." That doesn't help us know.

Some of you may remember that Fernando Tatis used to be a second baseman with the Expos who had some pop in his bat. Is Castillo's defense really that essential? I say let's throw Fernando Tatis at second and see how that works.

Hmm, Delgado's out of the lineup and the Mets win. Coincidence? Probably, but if Delgado continues to decline, he's more of a liability than an asset. Enter Nick Evans. Did you know that he actually is a first baseman that the Mets move to the outfield? It's not surprising as Evans looks like a nervous little leaguer every time the ball is hit to him in left. Let's move Nick Evans to first if he continues to perform well.

Assuming Church gets back to good health and Alou/Pagan are healthy, here's the Mets lineup I'd like to see:

Your bench then looks like Chavez, Delgado, Anderson, Easley. You could potentially platoon Delgado & Evans versus righties/lefties. Now this all hinges on Evans being able to continue to perform at a high level, which is a pipe dream but let me at least dream.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

During Tuesday night's SNY broadcast, Kevin Burkhardt remarked that Ryan Church was not even in the ballpark on Tuesday.

Church had an MRI and a CAT scan (yikes) to check if there was any brain damage. Fortunately there was nothing wrong, but Chuch still feels very dizzy. Doctors have recommended that he get lots of rest and stay out of the light.

So it look like the Mets best hitter this season will be out at least until the end of the week. Ryan Church we wish you a speedy recovery. Head injuries are not something you want to mess with.

I've spent the last 5 days away from the Mets enjoying the Jersey shore and some time off fully expecting that when I came back the Mets would have changed their ways.

Wrong.

I at least expected a new manager to be in the dugout on Monday if the Mets continued to lose.

Wrong.

So I'm back from vacation, but Jose Reyes' glove, David Wright's bat and Willie Randolph's will to win is still on vacation.

Welcome to the 2008 Mets. Your disappointment is now.

I actually listened to part of Monday's game on the radio while driving in the car. I believe it was the 5th inning when Wright singled and Beltran singled to make it 1st & 2nd and no one out. Delgado fouls out. Schneider grounds out. So poor Nick Evans is left to clean up the slack.

The worst part was I fully expected Evans to get a hit. Wow. That's sad. I was leaning on a 22-year old kid playing his third game in the major to come through and help the Mets cut the Marlins' lead to 6-5.

Evans struck out. But you know what, the kid doesn't deserve that kind of pressure.

And so the Willie Randolph dance continues. He should be gone by now, but he's not so I guess I have to deal with that. But don't expect Met fans to continue to deal with losing. We won't accept it.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

So this weekend I head down the Jersey shore for a much needed vacation from the Mets. You see this team is unwatchable, but every night I find myself right there turning to SNY or WFAN in the car.

I'm a Mets Lifer. I'm a glutton for punishment. I can't get enough of it. Sure it's 8-1, but the Mets get a few hits, score a run and all of a sudden I'm thinking if Delgado homers this could get interesting.

One inning with Scott Schoenweiss later and I've missed out on an hour of my life. Although if you watched George Michael's performance on American Idol last night then you lost a solid hour of your life too.

But this weekend there's no SNY down the shore. WFAN coverage is spotty at best so I'll be in Met exile surrounded by obnoxious Phillies' fans.

You know what I'll be doing. Watching the gameday tracker on my Blackberry.

I'm sick and I need help, but not as much help as this Mets team.

P.S. Thanks for the apology Willie, but a win in Atlanta would have sufficed.

I've just been forwarded this info that there will be a five-hour tribute to Mike Piazza on Friday, starting at 2 p.m., ET. The Mike Piazza Tribute consists of three of his most-memorable games.

The following times are all EST.

2-3 p.m. July 8, 2000 Mets vs. Yankees Roger Clemens hits Piazza in the head, knocking him out of the game 3-5 p.m. October 22, 2000: World Series, Game 2 Mets vs. Yankees. Clemens vs. Piazza.5-7 p.m. September 21, 2001 Braves vs. Mets Piazza belts a dramatic two-run home run in the eighth inning against Steve Karsay to lift the Mets to a 3-2 triumph over the Braves. The game was the first regular season professional sporting event held in New York City after the September 11, 2001.

They should have shown the 1999 decisive playoff game against the Braves and the massive 8th inning comeback game against the Braves instead of the July 2000 game against the Yanks.

I could spend a day writing posts about Mike Piazza and my memories of him as a Met. Yesterday, Mike Piazza officially retired from the game of baseball and closed the book on his hall of fame career.

Mike Piazza was the first Met since Darryl Strawberry that I was drawn too from the day he put on the uniform. I remember being home from college for the summer and picking up a Sports Illustrated that had Piazza on the cover and was talking about his trade from the Dodgers to the Marlins. I thought, "Why can't the Mets get a guy like this?"

And then they did.

I'll remember Piazza batting over .340 and thinking that I've never seen a Mets player hit the ball like this. I'll remember every time that he stepped up to the plate during a close game thinking that he was going to hit a home run. I'll never forget the home run he hit against the Braves in the first game played in New York on 9/11 and shedding tears while he rounded the bases thinking that he just gave a little ray of hope to New York during this troubled time.

I'll remember his curtain calls. I'll remember game 5 of the 2000 World Series in his final at bat thinking that he just crushed a home run off Mariano Rivera only to see it fall short. I'll remember his home run against the Braves in the 1999 playoffs where he single handedly brought the Mets back only to have Kenny Rogers blow it.

I'll never forget Piazza's home run to cap off a 9 run 8th inning to comeback and beat the Braves. I'll try and forget the Mets experimenting him at first base. I'll remember Mike Piazza as a Met.

I hope someday he finds his way back to the Mets organization as a broadcaster or a bench coach. Actually, I hope that Fox or ESPN pick him up as a commentator so I don't have to listen to Tim McCarver or Joe Morgan wax eloquent, but that seems unlikely. It's a shame that a player of Piazza's caliber and class never got a chance to win a World Series. The Mets just couldn't put the right pieces in place around him, but Piazza played hard every day regardless of the team he was on.

Welcome to 2001 Mets Lifers. You remember '01. We entered the season with high hopes as we just came off a disappointing performance in the World Series. Pretty much the same guys were back in the lineup. Hopes were high.

And then we started playing games. Yeah 2001 was the year we started to fall out of baseball existence. Careful folks. We might be doing it again.

2001 was the year the Mets finally got their act together in August/September and tried to make the playoffs only to fall a few games short. 2008 looks like the same kind of season.

I can't even comment on yesterday's games, but I got the sense that this team was going to do what almost every Mets team eventually does: tease you with the potential of winning.

The 2001 Mets did that. They got on a role won something like 11 games in a row only to crush your dreams in the final weeks of the season.

Prepare yourself Mets Lifers, the 2008 Mets are primed to do just that. The Mets will play .500 baseball up until August 1st and find themselves 5 or 6 games out of first. Then they'll win something ridiculous like 18 of their next 22 games. But eventually the gas will run out and we'll be left on the outside looking in.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Here's part of what Willie Randolph had to say to the Bergen Record about the way he's being treated badly this year: "Is it racial?" Randolph asked. "Huh? It smells a little bit."

Willie was commenting about how Mets fans and SNY criticize him because of his laid back approach and that he's not out there yelling and screaming. You know what? I can live with a laid back manager.

What I can live with is an obstinate manager who's team continues to show a lack of life and desire to win and then throws the race card into the mix.

Willie Randolph, I'm so disappointed. Throwing the race card around is something we expect from political candidates and Al Sharpton. This has nothing to do with race and you know it.

The most baffling thing to me is that Willie Randolph is a guy who grew up in New York, played in New York, coached in New York, and now is managing a team in New York. And he didn't think that people would be questioning his every breath when his team is not doing well? Come on.

Willie Randolph goes on with the Bergen Record to say that Met fans should be pleased with him for what he's done with this team. Oh really? You mean like orchestrate the greatest collapse in baseball history? Yes, thanks for that Willie. Do I see any World Series banners hanging at Shea because of your managerial prowess? Have you been able to get the most out of your players when your stars are struggling?

I have been a Willie Randolph fan. He played second base for the Yankees in the first baseball game I ever went to. I loved the fact that he was on the Mets and is now managing them. But he's forcing himself out the door.

Met fans have driven other managers out of town like Dallas Green, Art Howe, and Bobby Valentine (who's managed more teams in the World Series than Willie), and Yankee fans have driven out guys like Billy Martin, Buck Schowalter, and others. Even Joe Torre's job was being called for over the last two years and he's won the most World Series in this decade.

And guess what? They're all middle-aged white guys. Maybe New York fans are racist?

Let me give you a piece of advice Willie Randolph. Start winning and all will be forgiven. We'll call for you to be coach of the year if you bring us a pennant. We won't care if you never raise your voice again if you get us to the World Series. You can bring back Guillermo Mota and pitch him every day of the season if you bring us a championship.

Don't insult us with whining and complaining. Mets fans don't want excuses. We want results. And right now you're not getting any. So shut up and do your job. This is New York. Criticism comes with the job, but we'll enshrine you in baseball history if win for us.

Monday, May 19, 2008

This upcoming series with the Braves could very well be this Mets team's defining moment in this early season. Playing in Atlanta is never easy, not for the Mets. But this could be a series they could win.

The Mets face their very own Lex Luthor in Tom Glavine on Tuesday afternoon. Figures that the Braves would work out a way for Glavine to face his old team in the easiest possible setting: a day game in Atlanta that hardly anyone will be able to watch. Regardless those Mets who remember Glavine's choke job last fall should be fully motivated.

The next two games in the series are against very beatable pitchers. Of course the same can be said for the Mets who'll throw Vargas & Pelfrey. Then it's the showdown between Hudson & Santana. A pitcher's duel in which the first team to score 3 runs will win.

The Mets are coming off a high with the back to back wins against the Yankees and the offense seems to be waking up. 3 wins against the Braves would be a huge boost for this team's confidence and Randolph's job security.

I'd love 3 wins but I expect only two. Go ahead and prove me wrong. For once I'd love to be.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Jerry Manuel might be the first bench coach I've seen tossed from a game in a couple of years, but it was just what the Mets needed.

Manuel got tossed after Carlos Delgado had his home run called foul which would have given the Mets a 6-0 lead at the time. I'm not sure what Manuel said to the home plate ump, but he wasn't complimenting his eyesight. I've got to even hand it to Willie Randolph who looked seriously ticked off like someone stole his toasted Subway sandwich.

After that the Mets erupted with some seriously timely hitting. Ryan Church hit a bomb of a home run (can you believe we got this guy AND Schneider for Milledge?), and Reyes knocked in another 3 runs with a bomb of his own.

Oliver Perez showed his Dr. Jekyll side tonight pitching a controlled game. His only real mistake was leaving a pitch high & inside to Matsui who took him deep. Perez seemed to only walk batters with 2 outs which is a huge improvement for him. Best of all he kept his pitches down in the zone walking two and striking out four through 7 2/3 innings.

A much needed two game win streak for the Mets, and a well deserved day off that they'll need before what is possibly the toughest road series of the season starting on Tuesday in Atlanta.

If Reyes, Wright & even Delgado continue to hit like they did against the Yanks it could be an interesting series in Atlanta.

David Wright & Jose Reyes will be disappointed to see Yankee Stadium come down later this year. Especially that short porch in right field.

Wright's & Reyes' bat finally woke up yesterday as both homered and were on base several times. The Mets in general hit well yesterday, but still had trouble getting hits with 2 outs and runners in scoring position.

The fact that we squeeked out two runs with the bases loaded without getting a hit is a testament to this team's season. But the focus of yesterday's game should be on Wright & Reyes. As they go so go the Mets.

A lot of times we say that Reyes is the catalyst and that's true. But the real test of this team's success is the combination of Wright & Reyes. Reyes gets on. Wright knocks the runs in.

It's a perfect formula for success and if it's working you can almost cover the holes in the lineup that are the slumping Delgado and limping Castillo.

A sweep in the Bronx would be glorious tonight, even if it is just a two game series.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

I'm apologizing on behalf of the pitiful Mets lineup. Mike Pelfrey, I'm sorry you had to pitch a gem of a performance and have nothing to show for it.

Pelfrey pitched possibly the game of his life and didn't give up a hit until the 7th inning. He gave up one run on three hits and his team couldn't even scratch out a run against the Nationals!

The Mets cannot expect performance like this from Pelfrey, so they MUST, I repeat, MUST capitalize on these opportunities. The same goes for Claudio Vargas last night.

Usually the Subway Series is a fun weekend of baseball, but this game just puts me in a foul mood for the weekend. You drop 3 games to the Nationals? I don't want to hear another radio host, Mets manager, coach or player complain about the Mets fans booing them.

You deserve it. Start showing us that you don't. We'll come around, but I guarantee it's going to take some convincing.

Carlos Delgado finally laid down a bunt last night. You'd think we just discovered how to split an atom.

Delgado got himself an easy base hit by laying down a bunt down the third base line as the Nationals applied the "Delgado shift" and basically played 4 infielders on the right side of the infield. It makes perfect sense for Delgado to do this, but it makes you wonder why it took so long.

Sure the argument is going to be made that the Mets don't pay this guy to lay down bunts. We pay him to hit home runs and extra base hits.

Hmm, last I checked he wasn't doing much of those things either, so shouldn't we at least get the guy on base any way we can?

Delgado should do this once or twice a week for the rest of the season until team start easing up on the over compensated shift. Delgado has proven the saying "you can teach on old dog new tricks" since he has shown an inability to hit the ball to the opposite field or adjust his swing to exploit the shift.

Actually, he's not a bad bunter either. All I'm saying is if he's not hitting home runs, let's at least get some runners on base. Make Delgado worth something if he can't hit like he used to.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Well Cinderella's ball ended a little closer to Carrie than to the fairytale ending we expected.

Nelson Figueroa, the Mets feel good story of the year, had his dream cut short as he was designated for assignment along with Jorge Sosa (woohoo!).

Wait, who did the Mets call up? Vargas? You mean from Seinfeld? And what's that? He's starting on Wednesday? Didn't we try something like this against the Nationals at the end of September? How'd that work out?

So the Mets reinstated Matt Wise, called up Claudio Vargas and Fernando Tatis. Hopefully Wise can do more than Sosa. As for Vargas and Tatis, I don't expect anything. Tatis was called up as the Mets placed Angel Pagan on the 15-day DL, so Tatis is on borrowed time anyway.

A win will make us forget the debacle of last night, but another loss will send Mets Lifers into a tailspin. These are the Washington Nationals for crying out loud! Possibly the worst hitting team in the majors.

Anyway, Nelson Figueroa, it was fun for a while, and I guess your family is going to have a tough time getting those box seats again any time soon.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Slap me and call me Sasser. I think the Mets just scored over 20 runs in a 3 game series. And that was with one game where they only scored 1 run.

The Mets should have swept the Reds as Pelfrey gave them possibly his best performance of the season on Saturday, but at the very least the Mets back woke up this weeken.

Beltran & Delgado are both hitting the ball well. Beltran finally looks comfortable from the left side of the plate which we weren't seeing a whole lot of. David Wright however is still in a funk, but I think Delgado has found his home in the 7 spot of the order.

Wow. You don't get more mediocre than a .500 record. It's pitiful really. And if memory serves correctly on June 1 of last year the Mets had a double digit lead over the second place Phillies. Maybe it was an 8 game lead, but still that's how bad this team has played the last two seasons.

Graziano's article is a good one and talks about how Mets brass is going to reassess Willie Randolph, the team, etc. at the end of the month.

Will it be the 12-0 can't stop scoring runs squad from Wednesday? Or will we be seeing the can't hit with runners in scoring position, bullpen blowing squad from Monday & Tuesday?

That's the question from these 2008 Mets. Your season has come, but no one seems to be satisfied with it.

This team lacks consistency. Now no one can expect every player to hit the ball consistently well across 162 games, but you can expect that as a team you should see a high level of play through these next 4 months. That's what is lacking.

Is it no sense of urgency? Is it complacency? Are they too sensitive to the booing? Is it they just don't have the talent?

I think the latter question is not the case, but the previous ones are all still up in the air. I think it's pretty clear that the Mets need some kind of jumpstart to get this team going. In '86 it seemed like a fight would break out and the team would then be cruising for the next few weeks. I actually would like to see a fight break out. I guess we miss Lo Duca in that aspect.

I want some kind of life to be shown from this team this home stand. I've seen it in Reyes & Wright, but no one else. Give me some sign of urgency. Some tease that you love playing this game and can't stand the thought of losing.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

The story of the day is really John Maine's pitching performance. Stellar. When he doesn't walk batters, he tends to keep his pitch count down and is able to set 'em up and know 'em down.

I guess having a 12 run lead does wonders for a pitcher's psyche.

So I asked for a 3-3 split of the Mets' West Coast trip and that's exactly what I got. The thing that nags me is there was the potential for a better outcome. But that's what we've come to expect as Mets Lifers. A tease of potential dashed with touch of disappointment.

Now this bring me to the upcoming 7 game home stand against the Reds & Nationals. Nothing less than a 5-2 record is acceptable. The Reds are bad and the Nats are worse.

Willie Randolph wants to whine about the Mets fans booing his poor team, then do something about it. Shut us up by sweeping the last place teams. New York fans aren't fools. We can tell when you deserve to be booed and deserve to be lauded.

Nothing brings people around like an old fashioned winning streak. Let's see what you got.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

We are watching the demise of Oliver Perez and it's in blazing HD. Perez was a 15 game winner last year folks. That's right, the guy you saw last night won 15 games last year.

Hard to believe.

Oliver Perez is like that girl you dated in college. You know the one I'm talking about. It's the girl who you thought was attractive. She seemed fun. You had a good time when you went out a couple of times. And then WHAM! She turned into psycho chick. You might have seen this coming but you chose to ignore it.

That's Oliver Perez.

We knew this was coming, but like many a Mets Lifer, I chose to believe that the 15 game winner of last year was the real Oliver Perez. Blinded? Sure. Naive? Possibly. Optimistic? Unfortunately.

The kid has something wrong in his head. Ron Darling put it perfectly the other night when he said that Perez can look like the best left handed pitcher in the NL in one inning, and then the worst in the next.

Rick Peterson needs to try some zen voodoo, hypnosis, acupuncture or whatever. Because if Perez becomes unreliable then we really only have 2 starting pitchers you can count on: Santana & Maine.

Monday, May 5, 2008

The Mets are really good at ruining young talent. We can take the best prospects and dash their hopes and dreams with the best of them. Besides Jose Reyes and David Wright can you name the last young prospects or home grown talent that the Mets have developed into stars?

Let's think, there was Generation K. Nope that didn't work out. There was Timo Perez, Benny Agbayani & Jay Payton. Yeah, that didn't work out either. Gotay? Check. David Segui. Nada.

You pretty much have to go back to Doc & Darryl. But the crazy thing is look at the young talent we've had that has gone wasted. Perfect example is Jeff Keppinger. Keppinger came up in the middle of the 2004 season and was hitting the cover off the ball for a mid-season call-up. He played a great defensive second base and was one of those spray hitters. I thought the Mets had found their second baseman for the next 5 or 6 years.

Then we traded him to the Royals. Where is he now? He's hitting .298 with a .403 slugging percentage for the Reds (P.S. he had a .477 slugging pct last year).

Keppinger is not the only one. Timo Perez came up with a spark in his bat and then faded quickly. Every young pitcher we've had has turned into a bust (you've been warned Mike Pelfrey). There's Ruben Gotay who we ran out of town after he was the most clutch Mets hitter for a period of time last season. Now we got Gimpy Castillo for the next couple of seasons.

Milledge? Wasn't he suppose to be the next big thing but the Mets couldn't quite get the reins in on him.

And now I'm seeing the same thing happen to Angel Pagan. Pagan started the season with a bang and now has been delegated to pinch hitting duties. No one in their right mind can expect Pagan to hit like he did in April without the chance to play on a regular basis.

Don't get me wrong. I love that Alou is back, but Pagan is going to hurt because of it. Sure next year might be his shot to play every day. But who knows how he'll play next season. If history tell us anything it's that his chances aren't great because the Mets can't mold young talent.

That has to change if we're going to be a competitive team in years to come.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

The Mets couldn't get a timely hit for 8 innings, but they got them in the top of the 9th. Yet again Johan Santana pitched a great game only to get a no decision. Welcome to the Mets, Johan. Get used to it.

It seemed like everyone was hitting really, really, really long fly ball outs, but it was a series of singles and miscues that won the Mets the game. I've got to hand it to Reyes who's been playing much better of late. I like seeing how frustrated he was when he struck out earlier in the game and threw his bat and helmet down. Wright did the same thing later. They know it's unacceptable in key spots. Maybe Willie Randolph will catch some of their fire. What? Miracles happen.

That seems to be the key to all the close wins the Mets have had this year. They require the other team to screw up in some way in order to pull it out. Sometimes that's all you need.

But to waltz into the dessert and pull out two wins against the team with the best record in baseball is very satisfying. Two more wins in L.A. would be huge.

By the way was that Pat Burrelly playing 2B & SS for the Dbacks? Ojeda who?

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Last night was a perfect example of the difference between John Maine and Oliver Perez. Neither pitcher has had great stuff the last few outings, but John Maine proved that good pitchers don't need great stuff every outing to get wins.

Of course getting 7 runs of offense doesn't hurt, but Maine found himself getting behind in counts, walking batters, giving up hits and other jams for most of his 6 innings of work. He gave up 2 runs in those 6 innings, but had plenty of opportunity to give up more.

The key is he didn't.

Oliver Perez on the other hand seems to spiral downward when he gets beat early. Perfect example was Wednesday against the Pirates when he completely lost control. I honestly believe that Oliver Perez has better "stuff" than John Maine, but Maine has got a little something extra upstairs that makes him a better major league pitcher.

I'm still waiting for Maine to have a repeat performance of his last September outing against the Marlins. He had magical pitches that day and I know he can repeat that. Hopefully we don't have to wait til September to see it.

Friday, May 2, 2008

The Mets will stumble into Arizona on Friday night for a 3 game series against the best team in baseball. That's right the Diamondbacks are the best team in baseball.

John Maine will start tonight and face the undefeated, and unknown, Micah Owings.

This is not a high point in the Mets young season. But there is hope. Arizona has been the Mets' home away from home the last few seasons, and it was a series against the D-backs back on 2006 that sparked the Mets domination the rest of the season.

It's a place where a lot of home runs are hit and where we were introduced to Mike Jacobs and learned that Damion Easley has some pop in his bat.

We've dominated Randy Johnson over the years. In fact I'd go find Joe McEwing right now and stick him in the lineup against Johnson if I could.

But this is a very different D-back team then we're used to. Their pitching is much improved and they've got some young, strong hitters in their lineup who will pound Mets pitching if we make mistakes.

It's a 6 game West Coast swing, and I think we need at least a 3-3 split. A 4-2 road trip would be miraculous.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

I've got to admit I'm not crazy about the new Mets radio announcer, Wayne Hagin. He just doesn't sound right especially after all the years of Gary Cohen and his sound-alike Tom McCarthy.

Maybe our next broadcaster will be a grad of this great camp I came across and have actually had the privilege of witnessing. Bruce Beck, of WNBC, and Ian Eagle, who does the Nets & CBSSports, are in their 7th year running a broadcasting camp for teens.

The kids do mock interviews, prepare scripts and even do play-by-play of the Sussex Skyhawks. The highlight of the week is a press conference with Yogi Berra since the camp is hosted at the Yogi Berra Museum.

The Mets old sideline guy Matt Loughlin even coaches the kids. If you know of anyone who might be interested, check it out at www.sportsbroadcastingcamp.com.